News & Perspectives on Beer and its Culture

Boulevard Brewing Co.

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has officially announced that it will be kicking off its newly-established First Fridays Collection in May with the Limited Release of Hold the Pancakes, a Blend of Whiskey Barrel-aged Ales with Maple Syrup.

Created to be a “series of exceptional beers at the intersection of experimental art and established science”, the First Fridays Collection is Boulevard’s exciting new “curation of cutting edge, artisanal, barrel-fermented and wood-aged ales.” The inaugural release in the First Fridays Collection will be Hold the Pancakes, a blend of “multiple vintages of imperial brown ales and imperial stouts aged from 15 to 24 months in bourbon, rye and maple syrup-filled whiskey casks.” Weighing in at a massive 13.9% ABV, Hold the Pancakes comes together to be a “complex, sticky, boozy behemoth of a beer, showcasing the barrel shepherding and blending skills of [Boulevard Brewing Co.’s] brilliant brewers.”

Hold the Pancakes debuted in the Greater Kansas City Area on May 13 and is scheduled to enter full distribution shortly after that date. You can expect to find this Limited Release offering available in 750ml bottles and on draft at select craft beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Missouri and throughout the rest of Boulevard’s 41-state distribution area. Prost!

Vital Information for Hold the Pancakes from Boulevard Brewing Co.

Release – Limited/First Fridays Collection; mid-May 2019Style – Blend of Imperial Brown Ales & Imperial StoutsABV – 13.9%IBUs -13Treatment – A blend of ales aged in “Templeton Rye barrels, Canadian Rye whisky barrels, maple syrup/whiskey casks”Fun Fact #1 – On the name of the series: “Almost 30 years ago, Boulevard Brewing Company Founder John McDonald began sharing kegs of beer with the local arts community at Friday gallery openings, drawing people into the urban core in the spirit of exploration. These celebrations of creativity sprouted spontaneously throughout the country to become First Fridays, a convergence of arts, culture and activism that continues to excite and inspire.”Fun Fact #2 – On the label artwork: “Boulevard is taking a new and different approach to labels for the limited-edition beers, creating a vehicle for artistic expression. ‘This collection is a tribute to the resourceful culture within the brewery and the arts community,’ said Frank Norton, graphic designer. ‘This first release is pretty fun and eccentric, so we wanted to create a label that’s equally vibrant and off-beat. We plan to enlist local and regional artists to collaborate on future offerings.'”Suggested Food Pairings – “Breakfast for dinner, maple-braised pork belly, crème brûlée, bold cigars”Availability – 750ml bottles & draftBeer Finder – https://www.boulevard.com/beer/beer-finder/

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has officially announced that it will begin the Limited Release of Smooth Fuzz Apricot Sour Ale on Monday, May 6.

Crafted to provide a taste of summer while taking full advantage of apricot season, Smooth Fuzz (7.2% ABV) is a “tart and funky” American Sour Ale comprised of a “mélange of Belgian-style ales fermented and aged in oak barrels and foeders for up to 36 months.” Prior to bottling, the final blend was further aged on “whole apricots . . . to infuse juicy stone fruit flavors which mingle with the mixed fermentation character provided by [Boulevard’s] house lactobacillus and brettanomyces cultures.”

Smooth Fuzz will roll out in the Greater Kansas City area on May 6 and is expected to enter wider distribution in the weeks that follow. You can expect to find this Limited Release offering available in 750ml bottles and on draft at craft beer-focused establishments located in Missouri and all other areas that “typically see Smokestack Series, Limited Release and seasonal beers like Plaid Habit, Chocolate Ale and Love Child blends.” Prost!

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has officially announced that Easy Sport Recreation Ale will join its Year-Round lineup in April 2019.

Crafted to be the perfect beer for “runners, cyclists, hikers, pickleball players, karate masters, yogis, disc golfers, ball golfers, yard mowers, jazzercisers and people who are just plain thirsty”, Easy Sport is a “refreshing, super drinkable, bright” Blonde Ale that boasts a “hint of tangerine” and three additions of electrolytes (potassium, magnesium and sea salt). Weighing in at a low 4.1% ABV, 4.5 grams of carbs and 99 calories, Easy Sport comes together to supply its drinker with “a slightly tart, subtly salty, all-natural, low calorie, carb-conscious beer.”

Easy Sport Recreation Ale will debut in the Greater Kansas City area on April 1 and is scheduled to enter full distribution shortly after that date. You can expect to find this new Year-Round offering available exclusively in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans at craft beer-friendly establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Missouri and throughout the rest of Boulevard’s distribution territory. Prost!

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has announced that Space Camper Cosmic IPA will officially release on January 7 as the brewery’s newest Year-Round offering.

Developed to represent “the culmination of over a year of creative exploration of a relatively new take on India Pale Ales”, Space Camper Cosmic IPA – or what regulars of Boulevard Brewing Co.’s Tours & Recreation Center Beer Hall might recognize as TEST– El Dorado IPA – utilizes “massive hop additions at the end of the boil, and during fermentation, to minimize upfront bitterness and create a juicy IPA bursting with tropical fruit flavors and aromas of nectar and citrus.” Clocking in at 5.9% ABV and 50 IBUs, Space Camper Cosmic IPA is guaranteed to jettison its drinker “into a mind-bending alternate universe of India Pale Ales.”

Space Camper Cosmic IPA will officially launch in the Greater Kansas City Area on Monday, January 7 and is scheduled to enter nationwide distribution shortly after that date. You can expect to find this new Year-Round offering available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Missouri and throughout the rest of Boulevard’s expansive distribution territory. Prost!

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has officially announced that its Nutcracker Ale will begin its Seasonal return in mid-October.

Brewed annually since 1995, Nutcracker Ale is a non-spiced Winter Warmer Ale that “leans heavily on Chinook hops for bold flavor and aroma.” That “zesty” hop character is then rounded off with a “robust” malt base and “additions of golden brown sugar and dark brown sugar” to yield a complex and comforting Nutcracker Ale (7.8% ABV) that is at its best when shared with friends and family during the holiday season.

Nutcracker Ale hit the Kansas City area on October 15 and will make it to other regions soon. You can expect to find this Seasonal offering available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at beer-friendly retailers, bars and restaurants located in Florida, Missouri and the other “regions that typically see Boulevard seasonal beers like Irish Ale and Bob’s ’47.” Prost!

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has announced that it will be expanding its Radler selection in September when it introduces its latest Seasonal Release, Tart Apple Radler.

Using the same process that created fan-favorite Radlers such as Ginger Lemon Radler and Cranberry Orange Radler, Boulevard’s brewers crafted Tart Apple Radler by adding “tart apple juice and just a touch of lemon juice to . . . the Unfiltered Wheat Beer base.” This combination yields “aromas of tart green apple juice backed by a subtle sweetness” and a flavor profile dominated by “slightly puckering apple and lemon” that eventually “[gives] way to a bready malt sweetness and a spritzy finish that wavers between apple, lemon and slight citrus notes from the base beer.” Coming in at an “eminently drinkable and refreshing” 4.1% ABV, Tart Apple Radler “is the ultimate post-activity beer even if you’re doing nothing more strenuous than lifting it to your lips.”

Tart Apple Radler debuts in the Kansas City area on September 4 and will see expanded distribution in the coming weeks. You can expect to find this new Seasonal Release available exclusively in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans at craft beer-friendly retailers in Alabama, Florida, Missouri and all other areas in Boulevard Brewing Co.’s distribution footprint that normally see other Seasonal offerings such as Ginger Lemon Radler, Berliner Weisse and Tough Kitty Milk Stout. Prost!

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has announced that its long-standing Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest Beer will officially begin its Seasonal return during the week of August 6.

Bob’s ’47 is Boulevard’s “take on a traditional German-style Marzen/Oktoberfest” that has been brewed annually for 25 years as “a tribute to former George Muehlebach Brewing Company master brewer and early friend and mentor to John McDonald, Bob Werkowitch.” To ensure that Bob’s ’47 is allowed “adequate lagering time before its fall release”, the first batches of this beer are typically brewed in late May to early June. After a “three week primary fermentation, Bob’s ’47 is crash cooled and lagered at 32 F until packaging.” This lengthy process produces an “incredibly smooth and delicious” Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest (5.8% ABV) “that showcases herbal/woody Vanguard hops against a toasted malt background.”

Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest Beer will roll out in the greater Kansas City area on August 6 and enter wider distribution shortly after that date. You can expect to find this Seasonal brew available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer-focused establishments located in Florida, Missouri, and throughout the rest of Boulevard Brewing Co.’s distribution area. Prost!

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has announced that its Berliner Weisse will officially return for another Seasonal run on July 9, 2018, and this time around this refreshing brew is ditching bottles for a more convenient packaging option: 6-packs of 12 oz. cans.

Back for another year to serve as Boulevard Brewing’s easy-drinking, summer-time Seasonal, Berliner Weisse is a “light bodied, straw yellow” German-style Sour Ale that boasts a “refreshing lactic acidity” and “citrus aromas hinting to the soft sourness and lemon, lime and orange peel” added at the end of the boil. With a flavor profile that mirrors those aromatics, Berliner Weisse (4.5% ABV) promises to be “incredibly flavorful and fruity while being super refreshing and ideal for a balmy summer day.”

Berliner Weisse will officially release in the Greater Kansas City Area on July 9 and enter wider distribution shortly after that date. You can expect to find this Seasonal brew available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Missouri and throughout the rest of Boulevard Brewing’s distribution network. Prost!

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has officially announced that it will begin the Limited Release of its iconic Saison Brett on Monday, April 30.

Annually brewed since 2008 and one of the “most coveted beers” to come out of Boulevard’s Smokestack Series, Saison Brett starts life as an “assertively dry-hopped” version of the brewery’s Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale. To set it apart from its cousin, the brewers then inoculate Saison Brett with Champagne yeast and “brettanomyces bruxellensis in a bottling tank designated to holding funky/sour beers.” After it is bottled and spends “12+ weeks in the bottle conditioning area”, the finished Saison Brett (8.5% ABV) emerges to treat its drinker to “suggestions of forest floor, earthy funk and tropical fruit that mingle with fruity Belgian yeast esters, peppery phenolic notes and citrusy hops.” Saison Brett can be enjoyed fresh or it can be cellared to “allow the brettanomyces character to develop and intensify.”

This year’s batch of Saison Brett will officially debut in the Greater Kansas City Area on April 30 and expanded distribution will follow “in the coming weeks.” You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 750ml bottles and on draft at select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Missouri and other areas in Boulevard Brewing Co.’s distribution footprint “that typically see Smokestack Series Limited Release beers like Rye on Rye on Rye and Love Child blends.” Prost!

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has announced that Tequila Barrel Lime Gose will begin its Seasonal run on March 5.

Originally released last year as a draft-only offering, Tequila Barrel Lime Gose came to be via a bit of experimentation after Boulevard Brewing “acquired a truckload of freshly emptied tequila barrels from a variety of distilleries.” After testing an assortment of base beers in the barrels, the brewing team decided to try something new and brewed a German-style Gose infused with lime peel to see how it would interact with the tequila barrels. This move proved to be a success and the Gose emerged from the barrels boasting “aromas of oak, vanilla and caramelized banana with bright lime character transitioning to subtle tequila notes and coconut.” Clocking in at an easy drinking 4.2% ABV, the completed Tequila Barrel Lime Gose hits the palate with “a malty sweetness . . . balanced by tart lime and hints of lively tequila, tapering to a slightly salty finish.”

Tequila Barrel Lime Gose will officially release in the Greater Kansas City Area on March 5 and 6, and it will then enter expanded distribution shortly thereafter. You can expect to find this Seasonal brew available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Missouri and any other “areas that typically see Boulevard seasonal beers like Flora Obscura Dry-Hopped Porter and Hibiscus Gose.” Prost!